Remember
by PinkPearlWings07
Summary: Jenny has a daughter...she's Julian's. Remember wants to know about her mother's past, and she has so many questions. But on her 16th birthday, she gets unimaginable powers...What exactly is she? R&R Please! I'm not L.J. Smith! I don't own!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey! This is my version of 'what would have happened if Jenny gave in to Julian in the cave' Jenny is a single mom of one child, a girl…Julian's daughter. She doesn't know about Julian, or her powers, but on her sixteenth birthday, she becomes more powerful than anyone imagined she would be, blah, blah, blah…PLEASE ENJOY!**

**RememberPOV**

_Beep Beep Beeeeeeeeeeep! _

I groaned at my stupid alarm clock, swinging my arm over to shut it off like I did every day, only to hear a gigantic crash. I shot up, and looked over, gasping as I caught sight of my alarm clock…well, what used to be my alarm clock.

It exploded.

"What the—"I yell, only to be cut off by my mom.

"Remy?" she asked, opening my door, "Are you okay? I heard a crash…" She gasps, seeing the mess of wires, and plastic, scattered around my room.

"_I'm _ok, my clock? Not so good."

She stared at me, "Just do me a favor, ok?"

I nod.

"Please, just be careful." And with that, she shut the door and left. I gaped at my closed door. No, 'what happened?' no, 'oh my god!'…nothing. I took a deep breath, and shrugged. She was probably just giving me an easy time because it's my birthday. I got up and pushed the bigger part of the mess into a pile and walked to my bathroom. A stunning girl with very light, honey blonde hair and indescribable blue eyes stared back at me in the mirror. I never understood my eyes. They seem to know everything, seem to be all-seeing, but they're wrong. I have so many questions, so many things that have not been answered, that no one seems to _want_ to answer. I shook my head, pushing those thoughts to the back of my head and picking up a brush to untangle my silky hair.

I put on a pair of light wash jeans and a blue blouse that seemed to make my eyes look like liquid sapphire. Blue was my favorite color, this was my most favorite top.

I walked downstairs, questions about my father swimming in my head.

"Happy birthday, Remember!" My mom greeted me giving me a small, delicate smile as she handed me a small box and a card. I opened the card first.

_Remember Julia Thorton,_

_ You are the best daughter I could ever ask for. You remind me of your father, in more ways than one. I know that you have so many questions about him, questions that I'm not quite ready to answer for you. Let's start with this. I met him under…undesirable circumstances, and he wasn't the kind of guy I wanted to be with…but he gave me this and I realized (a little while later) that I loved him…but it was too late. I know, that if he knew you, he would want you to have this._

_Nothing dies as long as it's not forgotten._

_Mom3_

I looked up at her, and she nodded, so I opened the small, silver box. Inside, was a slender golden ring, threaded onto a gold chain. I examined the ring closer and found an inscription on the inside. _I am my only master_. My mom had often told me this when I was younger, but I never knew it came from my dad…that was information that I longed to have, things my dad said, what he was like, stuff like that.

"Thank you," I murmured, fastening the ring onto my neck, and clutching it to my heart. I looked up and realized that my mom wasn't wearing her wedding band.

"What happened to…?" I trailed off as she pointed to the ring hanging off the chain on my neck. "You were never married were you?"

She shook her head, "You just always assumed, because of what hand I wore it on…I never lied to you…you never asked."

I nodded. "This means a lot to me, thanks." I smiled. She returned it. "I just have one question though…where did you get that last line of the letter?"

She smiled sadly. "That was another thing your father said to me…it was what drove me to name you Remember. It was originally going to be your middle name, but I figured it would be more fitting to have it be your first."

"What was my father's name?" I asked.

"Julian," she murmured, as if it hurt to say it louder than a whisper.

This was more than I knew earlier…I now know that I was pretty much named after my dad, which was kind of sweet, and I now know what his name was, but a lot more questions were trying to force their way out of my mouth, even though I knew my mom probably wouldn't be able to take any more. I was just about to thank her again when I heard the loud beep of a car horn. Jake!

"Bye, mom!" I said, grabbing my bag and running you the door, "See you later!"

I slid into the car next to Jake and greeted him.

"Hey, babe. Happy birthday," he said, giving me a peck on the lips, and starting the car, backing out of my driveway.

We passed right by the school, I looked over in question. He smirked, "It's your birthday, Ember. I'm taking you somewhere special." I smiled at the nickname, and was just about to ask where we were going, when he practically read my mind. "And no, I am not telling you where we're going." He said teasingly, "It's not a surprise if you know, now is it?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Besides," he continued, "We're here anyway."

I looked over and saw the most amazing meadow. It was filled with beautiful flowers and long flowing grass. I could almost see my eyes light up as I took in the sight. He smiled when he saw my reaction. I immediately got out of the car and ran into the field, taking in the smells and the relaxing feel of nature.

For some reason, I've always loved nature. It sort-of thrummed power, and I've always gotten this high from being near it. Especially thunderstorms…those were my favorite. I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to watch a thunderstorm, and I watched in awe as the sky turned grey, opening to let rain fall out, starting as a trickle, and quickly becoming a pour. I reveled in it. Jake came over and took my arm, mumbling about being sorry, and taking me back to the car.

I pulled away, and looked at him.

"No," I said softly, "It's ok. I love the rain."

He must have seen the gleam in my eye, signaling that I was truly okay with it, so he sat down with me, in the middle of a field, during a rainstorm.

Then the thunder started up. I watched it, mesmerized. I felt myself subconsciously wanting to channel that energy, to pull it into myself. I didn't know where it was coming from, but I wanted to touch it.

Almost as if possessed, I stood up, holding my hand out. It was extremely fast, yet, it felt like an eternity, as the bolt of lightning touched my hand, pushing its energy inside me, making me feel like I was the most powerful person in the world. Right before I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hi again! Enjoy this next chapter!**

**RememberPOV**

My eyes fluttered open, looking up at Jake, who was kneeling over me, head in his hands, crying. "Jake?" I whispered. His head snapped up, staring at me. Suddenly, he threw his arms around me, crushing me in a hug. He pulled away only enough to reposition his face over mine with a kiss full of relief and happiness.

His lips tasted of salt; he really had been crying over me…I smiled, grateful that I had such an amazing boyfriend. He pulled away, eyes swimming with emotions.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You were struck by lightning, Ember." He looked worried, "Are you okay?"

I sat up. I felt fine…better, in fact, than I had before, but I didn't say that. "I feel okay."

He sighed in relief, "Good…I was afraid you were seriously hurt."

I shook my head. Suddenly, I realized something odd. The sky was once again sunny and clear.

"Hey, Jake?" I asked. He looked up. "When did the storm stop?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, "It literally stopped when you were struck…it was odd, but I was more worried about you, at the time, than freaky weather patterns."

I nodded, but kept that in the back of my mind. Right now, I was more worried about myself…I felt like I could take on the whole world and come out on top. I knew that this shouldn't be happening…that I should feel weak and…well, charred, after being struck by lightning…but I didn't.

I could feel the energy around me, thrumming with a pulse that felt natural, and peaceful. It was more than I felt before...stronger. It may have just been the thunderstorm, but I had a feeling that it was a lot deeper than that. The feeling told me that it felt stronger because I had more energy...from the lightning.

But that was insane...I couldn't have possibly gained energy from the thunderstorm...or could I?

"Come on!" Jake called. "I want to make sure you are really okay. I want to take you to the hospital."

I nodded and walked over, getting into the passenger side of Jake's car. He got in the other side and started the car. We rode in silence all the way to the hospital, but we sat in the parking lot for a few seconds...the silence wasn't awkward, it never was between Jake and me, but I could tell he wanted to say something...so I waited patiently.

"You know," he said finally, "I am really, really glad you're alright...I...I don't know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt on my behalf."

I nodded, "You know I wouldn't have blamed you"

"Huh?" He asked, obviously confused.

"If I did actually get hurt...I wouldn't have blamed you. You were just trying to do something nice and it backfired...its ok."

He nodded and went to get out of the car but I stopped him.

"Wait, let me call my mom first...I just figured I would tell her what happened."

He nodded. "Do you want me to...?" He motioned as if to leave.

I shook my head. "It's fine."

He nodded and sat back, closing his eyes slightly. I knew he wasn't really asleep...this was his way of calming himself down.

I took out my phone and dialed home, putting it to my ear and waiting for my mom to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, mom..." I answered.

"Where are you?"

"The hospital..." I trailed off, not sure what else to say.

"What! I figured you would ditch with Jake today, but why on earth are you in the HOSPITAL!"

I cringed. My mom never really yelled at me, but when she did, it hurt. "Um...well, he took me to an amazing meadow and then it started raining…and then the thunderstorm started up and...I might have...kinda, sorta, gotten struck by lightning."

I winced, getting ready for the explosion, but it never came.

"Oh, honey, are you okay?"

I was shocked...but then again, her 'mom instincts' were probably telling her to make sure I was okay before exploding on me.  
>"I'm actually fine, mom." I told her. "I...I feel better than I did before, actually."<p>

There was silence.

Finally, "Are you in the hospital yet?"

"No..." I said, confused.

"Come home, please, I have something to tell you that might explain some things."

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's about your dad."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey! Here's the next chapter of Remember! ENJOY!**

**RememberPOV**

"What about my dad?" I asked, shocked that my mom mentioned him freely.

"Well, that's what we need to talk about…can you come home ASAP please?" she said, obviously not comfortable with the subject.

"Fine…but can I bring Jake?"

She sighed, thinking it through. Finally, she said, "I'm not sure this is something you would want to share with him…but," she added, "if you truly believe that he should be included in this, then you can bring him…if only because Dream, Skye and Maia are going to be there…along with their parents."

"Why will they be there?" I asked, not that I didn't like them, they were actually my closest friends, but it seemed unfair that they learn about my father the same time I do.

"This includes them too." That was all she would say on the subject.

"Ok, but I'm bringing Jake." I said, hanging up.

I looked to Jake, who was peeking up at me through his lashes. "Change of plans?" he guessed.

I nodded, "My house."

He sat up and started the car, pulling out of the hospital parking lot and driving to my house, getting there within five minutes. He pulled in and stopped, pulling the key out.

"Just…" I started, he looked at me expectantly, "just be ready for anything. I haven't heard a word about my dad since this morning, and it seems like something you should prepare for."

He nodded and with a deep breath, I got out of the car and walked up to my front door, Jake on my tail.

I opened up the door to see everyone sitting in the living room. Skye gave me a confused look, sitting side by side with her parents, Summer and Zach. Dream and Maia gave me supportive smiles, sitting next to each other on the floor, and their parents were sitting behind them, Audrey and Michael, behind Dream, and Tom behind Maia. Maia's mom died in a car crash when she was a baby. Dee sat next to my mom supportively as she gave me a forced smile.

I motioned for Jake to sit on the loveseat, and I took my place next to him.

"Explain." I said, waiting for anyone to start talking.

My mom started off. "This was something that I've dreaded telling you about…I was going to do it on your eighteenth birthday, I figured you should know as an adult, but what happened with the alarm clock, and the lightning…I think it's time for me to explain about your father.

"Everyone else in this room is either here for support, she looked at Jake, or because this involved them or their children, she motioned to everyone else."

I nodded.

"It all started with a Game…"

My mom told the story of her and her friends, facing the Shadow Man, Julian. Her friends would pipe up if she forgot something and I could tell she was revealing things they never knew as well, such as the silver rose while Julian was playing the Erkling King, or the numerous offers of surrender she turned down to keep her friends safe.

Maia, Skye, and Dream were just as mesmerized as I was at the story. When my mom got to the part about her grandfather, I cried, I think everyone who hadn't heard the story before cried. And she even started bawling when she talked about Julian's death.

When she finished, she looked to me.

"So," I said, "my dad was a Shadow Man who endangered your friend's lives because he was irrevocably, unconditionally in love with you?"

She nodded, "But you got one thing wrong. He would have never hurt any of my friends because he knew that it would break my heart...that man truly loved me, he just showed it in the twisted, evil way he was brought up using. He was a good soul in a bad place."

"Julian was an evil, lying, twisted man who took advantage of us all!" Tom shouted.

My mom's eyes blazed, but before she could reply, Dee said, "Julian loved Jenny in ways that you never could! If anyone took advantage of anyone, it would be you Tom! You took advantage of Jenny since the first day you started dating! You didn't even realize you truly loved her until the day you lost her to Julian!"

Everyone was shocked at Dee's outburst, including my mom.

"Come on, Maia," Tom said, "I'm not going to stand for this." He started to pull Maia up but she ripped out of his grip.

"You might not, but I do." She looked like an avenging angel standing up to her dad like that. He glared at everyone in the room, eyes lingering the longest on my mom, and I thought I saw a flash of sadness as he turned and left the house.

Everyone was silent, obviously not expecting that to have happened...but it did. Maia gave me a triumphant smile mixed with support as she sat down at my feet.  
>I looked to my mom for the next part of the story that I knew was coming.<p>

"Remember...I think you might have inherited some of that power."

My jaw dropped. I was totally not expecting that...and clearly, neither was anyone else as the room erupted into complete chaos.

Jake was the only one that hadn't said anything yet at all. He had been completely silent the whole time. And as he gave me a supportive smile that said he was still with me, he pulled me into an amazing kiss.  
>Finally, he pulled away, and I was left in complete bliss. Enough so that I didn't realize that the entire room had become silent and was now staring at us...as I came to my senses, a deep blush started to creep up my face but I hid it under a facade I wore well, carelessness.<p>

"So," I said, breaking the intense silence, "I inherited my dad's shadow powers huh?" I was never one to dance around a subject that needed addressed, no matter how delicate of a subject it was.

"I think so," my mom said, "only one way to find out though, right?" She was looking directly at me.

I smiled and closed my eyes, not having to dig very deep before reaching the power stored inside me from the lightning strike. I took all that power and smothered myself in it. Opening my eyes, I realized everyone was looking at me in wild surprise. I looked down at myself.

Where I had once been was a writhing form of shadows, with me inside it. I looked around and found that the whole room was consumed by moving shadows. There was one behind the couch, underneath the lamp, and even next to the pillows on the chair. I suddenly knew that I could instantly transport myself to any of those places, or any one of the billion places my shadow mind was offering me, but I settled for just reappearing.

The room gasped as I appeared where my shadow was. I knew now that a shadow that looked alive to me, was just a plain old shadow to the normal eye, but now as I looked around, every shadow I set eyes on was alive...it was kind of cool really.

My mom just stared at me. "You know," she said, as if lost in a memory, "in that moment, you looked exactly like your dad. Indescribable blue eyes flashing with amusement, signature smirk taking over your face...I thought I even saw a flash of frost white hair to complete the exotic look." She sighed, "And a devilishly handsome face I'll never see again."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys! Enjoy this new chappie!**

**RememberPOV**

I knew I had to do something. I couldn't let my mom suffer the rest of her life like this...always trapped behind the memory of my dad, mostly because of me. I remind her too much of him. I knew, in that moment, that I was going to bring Julian back...I'd just have to figure out how.

"Are you okay, Jenny?" A worried voice asked my mom delicately.

"No, but I'll pull through, Audrey."

"Sunshine," Dee started, "I think you need some rest. We'll all leave you and Remy alone for now...I might stop by later, though, to see how you guys are doing."

My mom nodded and sighed as Dee got up, followed by Maia, who had asked her for a ride home since her dad had stomped out. Dee was happy to. Slowly, Audrey and Michael got up and left with Dream on their tails. Zach obviously wanted to stay, but Summer got him to get up and lightly nudged him out the door.

Skye stayed for a moment to say goodbye to my mom and I, and then left right behind her parents. All that was left was Jake and I. I took his arm and walked over to my mom, who had her head in her hands.

"Mom?" I asked lightly.

She lifted her head, only to bury it again. "I'm supposed to be strong for you." She sobbed, "I'm supposed to be stronger than this, but I can't even utter Julian's name without breaking into sobs." She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "I'm just sorry."

I kissed her on the cheek. "Don't be. You need rest; just lie down for a bit."

She nodded and laid her head down on the pillow, falling asleep within seconds. I motioned for Jake to follow me, and I pulled him upstairs and into my mom's study. I figured that my mom would have some of her grandfather's old books and journals in there.

I looked around and saw that the room was mostly filled with Norse Mythology books. I wasn't surprised. My mom teaches Norse Mythology once a week over at the local university...she always said that Audrey got her into it, but I always knew there was something deeper, connecting her to the stories and runes, but I never realized that it ran this deep. I sighed and looked a little harder and spotted a small bookshelf that was closed off from the others and it had a thin white sheet covering it. I walked over.

Jake followed closely behind me and watched as I took the corner of the sheet and pulled it off, revealing an old, dusty bookshelf. It looked as if it hadn't been disturbed in years and I gasped at the antique-y, _oldness_ of the items in the case. Journals, books, even small artifacts cluttered the inside.

I kneeled down and looked at the bindings of the old books and journals, trying to find something that was relative to what I needed it for.

"What exactly are you doing, Ember?" Jake questioned.

I rolled my eyes, pulling out a book labeled _'Shadow Men'_ and standing back up, looking him in the eyes, willing him to see my view on what I was about to tell him.

"Jake," I started, "I can't let my mom go on like this. Now that I know why she gets withdrawn all the time, I understand it. I couldn't possibly take it if you died right this second and I would do anything..._anything_ to get you back." I paused, hoping he was getting the point...he didn't. I gave him a long look, my liquid sapphire eyes piercing into his. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get Julian back." I didn't bother holding my breath, I honestly expected him to walk out right then...but he stayed silent. I waited.

Finally, he answered. "Okay."

I stared, I'm sure I looked odd. I was practically gawking, something I _never_ did.

He rolled his eyes. "You should know this, Ember. I may not _agree_ with everything you do, or almost _anything_ you do for that matter...but that's not the point. I might not agree with what you do, but I'm _with you._ I might honestly believe that you shouldn't be messing with stuff like this, but not only is it your own choice, but, technically, you're already deep inside it, just from who you are.

"I love you, Em. I'm not gonna let it all go to waste just because you made a stupid mistake. And if I lose you…I want to be right next to you when it happens, doing everything in my power to stop it." He gave a confident smile, "If you have to jump into the snake pit, I want to do it together."

I smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before getting back to work. I pulled out another book labeled _'Mystic Runes' _and flung the sheet back onto the dusty bookcase before waltzing out of the room, Jake on my heels. Walking into my room, I dropped the books on my desk and asked Jake to close my door and pull up a chair. He did.

We spent the next two hours reading through those two books and figured out a few things:

We need to get a small plank of Afzelia wood.

We need to cover said plank with runes describing the 'Shadow' we want to 'create'.

Only a Shadow Man can do it. And it needs to be done at precisely dawn on the first night of a full moon.

We also found out, via Internet, that Afzelia wood is extremely rare, and can only be found in the country of Laos.

After looking up the Runes in the book _'Mystical Runes_,' Jake and I decided that we would use: Uruz; for traveling between the worlds and strength, Kenaz; for knowledge and passion, Nathiz; for determination and endurance, Eihwaz; for strength and dependability, Algiz; for defense against evil, just in case, Berkano; for power and renewal, Mannaz; for intelligence, and being the rune of man, Laguz; for birth/creation, and Ingwaz; for power.

We will also specifically carve Julian's name into the stave, to ensure that we won't create a new, dangerous, Shadow Man.

Jake and I are also running along the assumption that I will be able to take the place of a real Shadow Man…since I'm the direct descendant of one. Well…that's what we're hoping anyway.

**AN: Just figured I'd tell you what I made up completely and what is actually legit. I looked up the wood...it's a real wood that is rare and originated in Laos, but you can buy it online and such...I figured that'd make it too easy. The runes...I kind of took some meanings from the books and others from various charts on Norse Runes. The whole part about precisely dawn after the first night of the full moon? Completely made up.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi…well, there's nothing more to say. ENJOY!**

**RememberPOV**

"Okay, so first things first," I started, "We need to go to Laos to get some of that wood."

He raised an eyebrow, "We? And how, exactly are we going to get to Laos?"

I threw my head back and laughed. "I have awesome Shadow Girl powers, remember?"

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head, "Okay, but what about the human right here?"

I was waiting for him to ask me that…I wasn't exactly sure if I could do it, but I wanted to try transporting through shadows…with him. At least, I hoped it would work. I told him as such. He looked at me like I was insane. "Hey," I said, "Do you really think I want to go to a foreign country by myself?" His look grew sympathetic, my least favorite look, especially when it was directed towards me. I looked away.

"Ember?" I looked back. "I'll try it."

I smiled and walked over, grabbing his hand. "Thanks," I murmured, closing my eyes and pulling power from my core. I felt myself take on the form of shadows. It was weirdly comforting, and it felt like I'd been doing it my whole life…I felt relaxed. But I could feel Jake's shadow-hand tighten on my own and I knew that it was quite uncomfortable for him…at least it worked.

I let my mind wander, trying to locate a good shadow to fade into. I finally did, and when I transported myself and Jake, it felt like easing into a pool, the air was a lot heavier, thicker, but it wasn't uncomfortable by any stretch of the imagination…to me at least. I didn't know about Jake.

We ended up in the shadow of a large mountain that I immediately knew was Mt. Phou Bia, the tallest mountain in Xieng Khouang, a small city in Laos. How did I know this? I had no idea.

I looked behind me, not feeling Jake's hand in mine any longer, I got scared. But I saw that he was facing opposite me, looking up at the mountain in awe. I smiled; glad that it worked, at least…and maybe we would get lucky and find the wood.

"Come on Jake," I told him, he looked to me.

"We're really in Laos…in Asia…holy crap!" He was amazed, and I didn't blame him. Two seconds ago we were standing in my bedroom…in America. Walking over to me, he wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek, "You're amazing, you know that?" I blushed. Jake was one of the only people in the world that could make me blush. "Good, 'cause you are."

"Let's just go find civilization," I said, trying to hide my blush. Appearance was everything to me, if we were going into a strange town, I wanted to look like I was confident…not love drunk. As much as I loved the feeling…

Nope, totally casual and confident.

We wandered for about half an hour, and finally came to a tiny village with some little shops scattered with small houses. We walked into the first shop with no luck, same with the second. But when we got to the third, it was slightly bigger and looked more like what we were looking for.

I led us up to the counter. There was a boy who looked about our age managing it. He had dirty-blonde hair that fell over his eyes and emerald green eyes; he smiled as we came up.

"Do you happen to have any afzelia wood?" I asked politely.

His smile grew. "Actually, yes." The boy had a funny accent that was hard to describe…I guess we were just lucky he spoke English. He walked to the back of the store, and when he came back he had a short plank of wood that was the perfect size. "This is good?"

I nodded, and he handed me the plank. It was about an inch in thickness, and had the oddest texture…like alligator skin. It was really cool. I didn't understand the amount of money, so I gave the boy a ten and left the shop.

As soon as we reached the edge of the woods, I took a deep breath and thought about my bedroom, getting that familiar feeling before opening my eyes to my room. Jake took in a deep breath.

"You okay?" I asked. I knew that this wasn't natural to him. It was weird, though, because until earlier, it was foreign to me too, but it seemed natural anyway.

He nodded, running a hand through his silky chestnut hair. "It's just odd, for me."

I smiled and looked down at the wood in my hands. I turned it over in my hands, and looked up, smiling. "We got it!"

Jake gave a laugh, "So now what?"

"Now," I said, "We wait 'till Friday."

"Friday?" He asked.

"Friday, Jake, is a full moon…and at exactly 6:11am, we're gonna do this."

**AN: I really wanted to end it here, but it didn't seem long enough…so here's an extra few pages! ENJOY! Btw, this is June, the last day of school was Remember's birthday, I forgot to clarify that it's technically summer now.**

_6:05 Friday_

Where was Jake? I told him to be here by now.

There was a knock at the door; I opened it to a very disheveled Jake. Knowing him, he just woke up. I, on the other hand, have been up since five, pacing. Both excitedly, and worriedly.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? We're cutting it a little close, Jake."

"I know," he said, following me up to my room. "I got to sleep late last night, and slept through the alarm I set."

Sighing, I closed the door and looked at my clock, 6:09. I got out the stuff I had prepared. My knife, the wood, I even practiced carving the runes on an oak plank.

"Where's your mom this early?" Jake questioned.

"She had to go to some meeting since she's teaching Norse Mythology over the summer too." I told him, keeping a close eye on the clock. 6:10. I started carving runes. The clock turned 6:11 and I carved the last thing, his name.

"Julian," I murmured, invoking the runes on the stave. I held my breath and set the runestave on the floor in front of me. Jake grasped my hand, and I gave it a comforting squeeze.

Suddenly, an icy mist filled the room, swirling around something in the center. It was breathtaking, like an extravagant dance. Shadows bounced off the walls, and disoriented both of us. But it slowly stopped and the swirling mist started to clear. I could make out a figure. Black clothing. Icy white hair.

My own eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey! I have something random to say…I AM SOOOO IN LOVE WITH JULIAN! Sorry…I had to say it somewhere, and I think if I were to scream it like I want to, my parents would send me to a mental hospital…I'm already crazy enough…**

**ENJOY! ;D**

**~I 3 Julian**

**RememberPOV**

I gasped as I saw his impossibly blue eyes…the same shade as mine. It was like looking into a distorted mirror, I saw more and more of myself in him as the mist cleared. My cheekbones. My ears.

My façade of indifference.

I put the same look on my face and gave a sly smile. I was going to play with his mind, a little. This was gonna be fun.

Julian walked towards me. A glint of amusement flashed in his eyes as he looked at Jake and I. We stared at each other for what seemed like hours, getting a feel for the other. Seeing who would break the silence first. He did.

"So," he said, no, that's an understatement. More like the words flowed out of his mouth, like elemental music. Like water over rock, "Where exactly would I be?"

"Does it really matter?" I asked, giving him a look that dared him to contradict me.

Anger flashed across his face, but was quickly extinguished. "Is that a dare?"

Something my mother had told me, a long time ago flashed through my mind. A smirk split my face. "That would be telling."

He looked taken by surprise, but it was only for a split second. He quickly regained his composure. "You don't know what you're messing with." He said smoothly, not at all threatening, to a human ear. I, though, could hear the undercurrent of danger.

"I know exactly what I'm messing with," I said in a way that was nonchalant, yet severe. "I think it's _you_ that doesn't know what he's messing with."

Jake elbowed me, but I didn't break eye contact. I could tell he was just afraid that I would go too far.

Julian took another step forward. It was leisure, but meant as a threat. "And what exactly would I be dealing with?"

There was a knock on my bedroom door. "Remy? I'm home." It was my mom.

Julian's head swiveled at the sound of her voice, and he looked back at me.

"You're dealing with your daughter." I whispered, triumphantly. Louder, I said; "Alright, why don't you come on in?"

I heard the door creak open. Julian whirled. My mom looked at me, and then her eyes seemed to realize that both Jake and Julian were with me. Her eyes, though, flickered right over Jake and onto Julian, who was openly staring. My mom dropped her papers, they flew all over the place…but no one seemed to notice.

Jake squeezed my hand. The moment of truth.

"Julian," my mom breathed.

"Jenny," Julian murmured.

Slowly, Julian made his way over to my mom. As he walked, I watched him in awe. Every step he took, he seemed to age, growing taller, features growing more defined, hair lengthening. When he reached my mom, he was exactly her age. They stared at each other for a few moments, then my mom stumbled into his arms, and they kissed. I saw a flash of when my mom was seventeen; kissing Julian like that…it was sweet.

But do you really think I would stand for sweet?

I put on an annoyed look. "Can we just get onto the part where you tell me thanks and we move on?"

They broke apart. My mom looking like she was on cloud nine, Julian looking vaguely annoyed. He turned to me.

"And move on to what, exactly. Please elaborate." His tone was dangerous.

"My training." Julian raised an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to just _know_ how to be a Shadow girl, now am I?"

"Shadow girl, hmm?"

"I _am_ your daughter."

My mom seemed to snap out of whatever state she was in, and looked wearily between Julian and I, already sensing the future conflict. Julian looked at her. "Training, hmm?" She caught something in his tone, and looked thoughtful, and almost…reluctant? But finally, she nodded.

"It will be good for her, I guess." She muttered. Julian flashed a wolfish grin, and kissed her on the cheek.

Suddenly, I wasn't in my room anymore. Jake's hand wasn't in my grasp, and I looked around wildly for him. I sighed in relief when I saw him sitting on the floor a few feet from me, holding his head like he had a headache.

I looked around curiously. It wasn't a room I'd ever been in before. It was a relatively big room, like a parlor, and there was an Oriental screen positioned against one wall. I became aware of a large sofa when I heard an annoyed cry.

"Ugh! What the heck? I was taking a freaking nap!" Maia sat up on the couch and looked around. "Where am I?"

I caught her eye and shrugged. Jake got up and took his place next to me, grabbing my hand lightly, and giving me a small kiss on the cheek for comfort. Though, I'm sure he's the one who needed the comfort right now.

I heard a small noise and whirled. Skye was looking up at me, obviously confused, and very disoriented. Her grey eyes suddenly moved rapidly, taking in our surroundings. Her blonde curls bounced every time she moved her head.

"Aieee!" I heard a thud, and looked to my right. Dream was huffing, pulling herself up after obviously falling on her butt. And she looked ticked. This was odd for Dream, she never really looked mad, just tired or upset, but never mad.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She glared at me, as if saying 'what isn't wrong?', but she obviously knew that wasn't what I meant because she answered; "Ugh, Theo. I broke up with him."

"I'm sorry," I told her sincerely. She just rolled her eyes.

Theo was one of our friends. He and Dream have been dating on and off for months, and it was always something stupid that broke them up and one of them always left in a huff…it was the norm. No one was surprised, but they both liked it when you were sympathetic.

Dream pulled herself together and brushed a lock of spiky copper hair out of her spaniel eyes. But all at once, her façade shattered, eyes blazing, her gaze locked on something behind me. I sighed and turned to see.

Theo was standing there…looking completely and utterly lost and confused. I didn't blame him, we all were. He was indifferent toward Dream, but she still glared anyway. Then the yelling started. Everyone seemed to be yelling at someone else. Dream at Theo, Maia at Dream, Jake at them all for yelling in the first place. Skye just watched in awe.

Everyone shut up when a musical laugh rang through the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy the next installment of Remember!**

**~I 3 JULIAN!**

**RememberPOV**

Everyone turned to stare at the person who laughed. Almost everyone staggered back at the sight.

It was Julian, of course, but he wasn't the 35 or so year old Julian, he was the striking, devilishly handsome, seventeen year old Julian. Even I wasn't prepared, but I took it better than everyone else.

"What's this all about?" I asked smoothly.

A smirk split his face, "Whatever do you mean, Remember?"

"You know exactly what I mean," I said, advancing. "Where are we? Why are my friends here? What is going on?" Every question I asked, I took another step forward. Most would expect me to get louder, to crescendo until I was yelling. But I was a lot more dangerous when I was quiet, everyone knew that. My last question was a whisper, right in his face.

"Who are you?" I heard several of my friends ask, "What's going on?"

Julian flashed me a wolfish grin, "Do you want to tell them, or shall I? Hmm?"

I shook my head, and turned around, forcing a smile. "Alrightie everyone. This is my_ insane_, father, Julian."

There were gasps of surprise.

Maia asked, "That's Julian?"

Skye said, "Omigosh."

Dream stared.

Theo looked confused.

And Jake? He was indifferent. Already having met Julian.

Me? I was ready to blow up on my stupid dad if he didn't tell me what was going on! I glared.

Julian looked pleased with the reactions. "Your training, of course."

I was puzzled for a moment before I realized what he was talking about. "What happened to good old one on one?"

He shrugged, "It's just so much more fun with everyone else involved."

"But—!"

"But nothing," he said, "Your mother agreed too."

"Huh?" I asked brightly.

"Your mom, Jenny, agreed to let me do this."

I felt a sudden spark of anger toward my mom, but then I realized that she must have some reason for agreeing to something like this…the only question was, why?

I glared at him, "Your point?"

"My point is that you're here until this Game is over, no buts." He looked quite indifferent, but I saw the glint of smugness in his gaze.

"I'm hoping you know how this Game works," he said, smoothly, voice like water running over rock, "You have to find your friends, face their worst nightmare with them, escape alive, and make it to the top to find your little boyfriend and to leave. You have until dusk, which is at exactly 7:01 tonight. Good luck." And he disappeared, taking my friends with him.

"Very original," I muttered. He couldn't even come up with another Game, ha! I thought I heard a faint snicker…but I could be wrong. I rolled my eyes. Okay, now how to advance…I looked around, but There were only solid walls. No staircase. No opening. Nothing.

I was just about to yell when something came to me. This Game was all about me. My training…right, so I bet that everything that was going to happen was a test, to see if I could learn on site. Clever, I thought, so, so clever.

I closed my eyes and turned to shadow, mentally searching for Maia. When I found her, I transported to her. I ended up appearing right in her shadow. She jumped.

"What the heck, Remy?" she scolded, and I knew from her tone, she wasn't talking about scaring her.

"I'm sorry, Maia," I apologized, "I promise I had no idea he would do this."

"I'm not even talking about that," she sounded exasperated, "I'm talking about the fact that your dad is back, and you didn't even bother telling me."

I smiled, "Sorry, it was kinda a secret. The only one who knew was Jake, and I swear Julian just appeared this morning about two hours ago."

"What do you mean by 'appeared'?"

I shrugged and gave a sheepish smile, "I might have possibly carved his name into a runestave…"

"Why?" she asked.

"You think I could go the rest of my life knowing that my mom is in pain and it's all my fault?"

"What?"

I shook my head. "My mom would never have gotten over him. She sees his shadow every single day,_ in me_. I look too much like him for her own good, and I couldn't let her be miserable like that…I was also hoping to get to actually meet my dad, too."

"And how's that working for you?" She crossed her arms.

I smiled. "We clash a bit."

She raised an eyebrow. "A bit?"

"Hey," I said defensively, "I like knowing, okay? And at least I know where I got my personality from."

"Yeah, Miss Mood Swing."

I rolled my eyes, "At least I'm not as bad as Julian."

"True that…so…now what?" Maia looked at me as if I had all the answers. I obviously don't.

"Well…why don't we go find…" I paused trying to decide who to meet next.

"Dream," Maia supplied.

"Sure," I said, and held out my hand. She looked at it and hesitantly placed her hand in mine.

"What are you doing?"

I gripped her hand, making sure I wouldn't accidentally let go…that might be bad. "We are going to Shadow travel." I didn't give her any time to even_ think _about backing out before we were out of there.

I opened my eyes to see…an empty white room? Maia staggered next to me, trying to catch her balance.

"You okay?" I asked.

She nodded, and then seemed to realize where we were, and her eyes widened. I put my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me. "Ya know," she started shakily, "I've never told anyone this…but I'm a _little_ claustrophobic."

I looked around; this room was about eight by eight. I'd call it small, but not _that_ small. I told her so.

"Okay, maybe a bit more that a little," she confessed.

Then I spotted the problem. Two of the four walls were starting to close in, slowly, but ominously. I heard Maia whimper as she noticed as well. I grabbed her hand and tried to Shadow travel out, but it was like there was an invisible wall, keeping me from leaving. Maia freaked.

She started trying to push the walls back, to try and at least slow their pursuit, but to no avail. Nothing worked. Finally, Maia gave up and sat up against a non-moving wall, knees against her chest, head in her hands.

What was I supposed to do? The walls were suddenly so close I could press my fingers against each wall, arms out. As they advanced I tried to push them back that way, but nothing slowed them and I could touch each wall with my elbows. I could faintly hear Maia crying. Maia never cried.

Then it hit me.

I shimmied down the narrow isle, trying to reach Maia before the walls crushed us. They were pushing against my shoulders now, and I had to run sideways. Maia heard me, and looked up. I held my hand out, and as soon as my fingertips brushed hers, I did it.

I turned us into shadows.

I heard Maia shriek as the walls closed completely, but nothing happened to us. Yeah, it was that simple the whole time.

Since I still couldn't Shadow Travel, we 'walked' out of the room, through the solid block of walls…it was kind of like trying to swim in syrup: slow and thick, but smooth.

We stumbled into the hallway. I let Maia become human again, to catch her breath and calm herself down. When she looked up, and nodded, I grabbed her hand and we Shadowed to Dream.


End file.
